Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a major concern for short‐stay surgical patients because it can delay discharge and cause preventable postoperative complications, which in turn can increase hospital costs. Evidence suggests that aromatherapy effectively reduces PONV, either as a monotherapy or in conjunction with pharmacologic antiemetics. This quality improvement project investigated the effectiveness of aromatherapy in reducing PONV in a short‐stay surgical population. The outcome of this project supported the hypothesis that the administration of blended aromatherapy would result in a significant decrease in patients’ self‐reported ratings of nausea. This finding suggests that aromatherapy is an appropriate adjunct therapy for decreasing patient nausea and vomiting in this short‐stay surgical unit and may help prevent discharge delays in this population.